Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Currently, the water supply in the region is on a knife edge. The average demand for water in the Greater Dublin Area in 2023 almost reached the maximum sustainable capacity of our water supply sources during normal weather conditions. Similarly Mullingar has had similar challenges. Additional capacity is required to deal with the peaks in demand associated with warm and cold weather events, which with climate change are likely to become more frequent. This means there is a water supply deficit placing thousands of homes and businesses at serious risk of having no, or reduced, water service. The supply/demand risk that exists today will ratchet increasingly higher in the coming years due to the impact of the following:
- Population growth needs: The population of the Eastern and Midlands Region is expected to grow by 26% by 2044 increasing demand for water services. The ‘Housing for All’ strategy relies upon water services infrastructure and capacity being available to meet requirements.
- Economic growth needs: FDI alone is expected to grow by 73% in the GDA between 2019 and 2050.
- Climate Change: There have already been water restrictions as a result of drought conditions in recent years. The impacts of climate change are now clearly in evidence and are expected to increase in the years to come. Extreme weather including droughts and intense rainfall will affect both the availability and quality of water sources.
- More than 25 years of analysis and appraisal of the need and of potential solutions and alternatives has been completed in order to select the preferred option to provide a new source of water supply for the Greater Dublin Area of Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath and wider region. This process began with Dublin City Council in 1996 and was continued by Uisce Éireann when it assumed responsibility for managing Ireland’s water and wastewater services in 2014.
- Between 2014 and 2018, Uisce Éireann completed an extensive options appraisal process for the project. This comprised multi-criteria analysis of all available options (including technical and engineering, environmental, risk, economic and cost criteria), in addition to extensive stakeholder consultation. The outcome of Uisce Éireann’s Options Appraisal process was identification of the River Shannon - Parteen Basin as the preferred option to provide a new major source of water supply for the GDA and other areas in the region.
- Most recently, the options for the region were examined once again under the auspices of Ireland’s first National Water Resources Plan (NWRP).
- The Regional Plan in respect of the Eastern and Midlands Region (RWRP-EM) reviewed 1,128 unconstrained options and developed 591 feasible options to address the needs identified in the region. A detailed assessment process was used to determine the best solutions across a range of criteria including whole life cost, carbon costs, resilience and environmental impacts. Through this comprehensive evaluation, it was determined that the project is aligned to the outcomes of the National Water Resources Plan.
- The preferred approach for the GDA is the development of a new source of supply from Parteen Basin on the Lower River Shannon, with water treatment nearby and a treated water pipeline with offtakes along the route to serve other areas with identified water supply needs.
Uisce Éireann identified the Eastern and Midlands Region as the largest of the four regions defined as part of the National Water Resources Plan in both land area and population size. It includes 19 counties encompassing 24 Local Authorities. The region covers approximately 20,900 square kilometres extending from the Shannon Estuary in the south west, towards the large River Boyne catchment and Greater Dublin Area (GDA) in the north east. The region is the primary economic region of Ireland containing Dublin and Limerick City which provides more than 1 million jobs.
- We're making progress to reduce leakage. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46% and was reduced to 37% in 2022.
- We plan to reduce the national leakage rate further to 25% by the end of 2030 and to below 20% in the Greater Dublin Area. This will see a further 200 million litres of drinking water which would have been lost to leakage saved daily.
- Uisce Éireann analysis¹ indicates that even if it was possible to reduce leakage further to just 10% this would still not be sufficient for long term GDA needs.
- Furthermore, the resilience risk would also persist and there would remain over reliance on the Liffey as the primary source of water for the region.
- We are investing €250 million each year up to the end of 2030 in fixing leaks to provide a more reliable water supply.
- Water conservation is an important contributor to maximising supply capacity and Uisce Éireann has set an ambitious target to reduce leakage to below 20% by 2030.
- Progress on leakage reduction will assist in mitigating the immediate supply risks and allow for some growth but, as achievement of the full 20% target has already been factored into the analysis of future need, it will not make any further contribution to bridging the longer-term supply gap.
- Water availability varies over the course of the year, and groundwater sources are reliant on rainfall recharge during the winter period, to ensure availability in dry conditions. This recharge is then stored in rocks and soils, and provides baseflow for rivers.
- Although Ireland has relatively high annual average rainfall, it has relatively low groundwater storage compared to other European Countries. Over 70% of the country is classified as poorly productive aquifer or aquitard. The regionally productive aquifers tend to be karst aquifers which can be highly responsive to climate, with high water levels in winter and low water levels in summer.
- For example, in a dry summer, the water levels in some of our most productive boreholes in Portlaoise can fall by 10 metres.
- Ireland’s geological conditions typically do not support largescale abstraction for public water supply.
- However, at local level for small supplies, groundwater in Ireland is very important and Uisce Éireann has 800 groundwater water abstractions serving small villages and rural areas.
The River Slaney rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford before discharging to the Irish Sea. Although the river is larger in size than the River Liffey, it does not have any impoundments or reservoirs along its length, and therefore has limited storage. This means that the volume that can be sustainably abstracted from the river is significantly reduced. As it is designated as a High Status Waterbody under the River Basin Management Plan, even if the geographical conditions existed to create a large impounding dam and reservoir (they do not), Uisce Éireann would be unable to achieve consent for this. Uisce Eireann currently has three abstractions from the River Slaney at Baltinglass, Carlow town and Enniscorthy. The abstraction at Carlow is already subject to a hands-off flow, which means during certain drought conditions we must cease abstracting water. The River Slaney was considered as part of the options assessment in the Regional Water Resources Plan – Eastern and Midlands.
Ireland is a water abundant country, with relatively high annual average rainfall. However, it rains more in in the winter than in summer, and more on the west coast than the east. Therefore, our water infrastructure must be planned and designed to account for these variances. We must abstract water from abundant sources with large catchment areas that maximise the weather patterns in this country that have good storage between seasons.
Historically, our supplies in the Eastern and Midlands Regions developed on the basis of local water supplies in the immediate vicinity of populations served. The water infrastructure developed was fit for purpose for the relatively low populations and limited economic output. Ireland has grown significantly since the 1970’s, however, our critical water infrastructure has not kept pace with this growth. We are reliant on sources and infrastructure that was developed for a population of 3.5 million people, when now we have a population of over 5 million people. The existing infrastructure and supply sources also predate most modern environmental legislation, and therefore we have very large abstractions from relatively small waterbodies. This means that we do not have the critical infrastructure we need to provide an environmentally sustainable and climate resilient water supply for the Eastern and Midlands Region. Currently, 85% of the entire water supply to 1.7 million people is dependent on abstraction from a single source, The River Liffey - Which means we lack the resilience of similar sized European cities. In addition, we are abstracting nearly 40% of the average flow of the River Liffey which is stored in Poulaphouca.
As there is only 100 days of effective storage in the reservoir, the source is highly vulnerable even to relatively short duration droughts and climate change impacts on rainfall. This lack of both supply and resilience in the Greater Dublin Area is unsustainable. This threat to the water supply which if unaddressed will escalate over time given economic and population growth including the demand for housing in addition to the challenges of climate change.
- Uisce Éireann considers that public participation is essential to proper project development and as such committed throughout the development of the Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region to provide continuous and responsive two-way communication with all stakeholders.
- Uisce Éireann has engaged in four stages of public consultation at key points in the project development.
- Uisce Éireann has sought, listened to and responded to public feedback at each stage of the Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region. Each consultation phase allowed feedback to be incorporated into the development of the preferred new water supply scheme for the Eastern and Midlands Region.
- Over 1,500 stakeholders including landowners, community groups, public representatives and Prescribed Bodies have engaged with the project. The Project Team has held over 180 meetings over the four phases of consultation including stakeholder meetings, landowner meetings, elected representative meetings and public open days. Over 500 written submissions were received through the project information channels.
- All feedback received has been considered and responded to by the project team and is summarised in the publications which are available on water.ie.
- Furthermore, feedback on the RWRP-EM that relates to the project was considered and responded to in the RWRP consultation submissions report on water.ie.
- Uisce Éireann has been and will continue to engage with landowners along the preferred pipeline route corridor, and currently there are four dedicated Landowner Liaison Officers who have had "ongoing contact with landowners affected by the project".
- There will be a further round of non-statutory consultation before the project is submitted to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval.
There are almost 500 landowners along the route of the proposed pipeline corridor. Engagement has been ongoing with these landowners since 2016. This has primarily been undertaken via four Landowner Liaison Officers (LLOs) who have been advising landowners on the progress of route development and technical design and also arranging access for environmental surveys and ground investigation surveys.
The LLOs provide landowners with a dedicated point of contact throughout the planning phase, through construction, and reinstatement. Regular consultation is also taking place with the main farming organisations.
Uisce Éireann’s preferred approach is to acquire land and wayleaves by voluntary agreement and it is proposed that a “Wayleave Package” will be offered to landowners affected by the Project pipeline for acceptance on a voluntary basis in advance of the submission of the Planning Application and Compulsory Purchase Order.
- The scale of the Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region abstraction will equate to just 2% of the average flow of the River Shannon. The abstraction of water will be from Parteen Basin upstream from the ESB’s hydroelectric station at Ardnacrusha.
- The abstraction will be facilitated by a water abstraction agreement with the ESB. This will preserve the existing normal operating water level band on Lough Derg and Parteen Basin and the minimum compensation flowrate of 10m3/s to the Old River Shannon at Parteen Weir.
- The River Shannon is the largest river in Ireland and its catchment covers 20% of the island of Ireland. Indeed it has a catchment 13 times the size of the River Liffey.
- The project will for the first time create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country with the capacity for future offtakes to supply communities in Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare along the route.
- As rainfall patterns typically vary across the country, connecting our supplies across the entire Eastern and Midlands Region reduces the vulnerability to drought and other climate change related weather events.
- The Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region will be a major first step in creating an interconnected network that will support population, housing and economic growth to up to 50% of the State’s population in the Eastern and Midlands Region.
- The Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region will have the capacity to address water supply need across 36 water resource zones and to create 5 new/consolidated Zones: Newport, North Tipperary, Tullamore, Mullingar Regional and GDA Regional Water Resource Zones. Water supply to these areas will become more sustainable and resilient to future shocks such as drought and climate change.
- The project will enable water treatment capacity to be reassigned from existing treatment plants, that are currently supplying Dublin, to supply Wicklow, Laois, Carlow, Meath and Louth to support future population, housing and economic growth.
- The Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region will ultimately contribute to a more efficient, interconnected and resilient supply supporting regional development by enabling more efficient management and control of water quality, and by streamlining infrastructure investment.
The project is still at pre-planning stage and is included in the National Development Plan the €1billion plus category. A preliminary business case includes an updated cost estimate that takes account of best practice approaches to contingency and inflation provision, and a cost benefit analysis as required under the Public Spending Code has been submitted to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for Government approval. We await the outcome of the process.
The delivery of the Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region will ensure a secure sustainable water supply for up to 50% of the State’s population. However, we recognise the opportunity presented by the proposed project to bring significant value via Community Gain, during the project’s delivery phase. Community Gain is defined as a “good will contribution for the benefit of the communities affected by the project in the short, medium and long-term to alleviate the effect from the construction and siting of a major piece of infrastructure”. A Community Gain proposal will form part of the planning application. The Community Gain Fund will include will apportioned between the relevant Local Authorities. A proposal will be progressed through the required governance and stakeholder engagement processes in due course.